Measurable

You don’t want to make a goal like “become a best-selling author.” Why? Because that goal is not measurable!

Try for more specific, measurable goals.

Instead Of: Become a best-selling author.Try: Create a marketing campaign to launch my next book

Instead Of: Write a novel in a month.Try: Write 3,000 words a day for 30 days.

Instead Of: Have one of your blog posts go viral.Try: Have 20 people share one of your blog posts.

Achievable

Don’t make it too hard on yourself! You need to choose things that aren’t simply a matter of chance AND are within your control.

You don’t want to say something like, “Get 1,000,000 Instagram followers by Friday” unless you have a very specific scheme for doing that. 😉 If you make goals like that, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Make specific, measurable, and achievable goals.

Instead Of: Be a millionaire.Try: Save $10,000 a year for the next 100 years.

(Okay, I’m joking. Instead …)

Instead Of: Get 500 Instagram followers.Try: Come up with an awesome plan to do your best to gain 500 Instagram followers.

Relevant

Relevant is another important word in SMART. It’s one of the hardest to understand, and that’s because it’s a bit vaguer. So what does it mean?

Relevant means you want to make goals that are worthwhile, that matter to you, and that are meant to be achieved in this present period of your life.

For instance, when you’ve just begun to write, a non-relevant goal would be “set up my Instagram platform and begin to post.” Why do you need to do that right now? Chances are, you don’t.

However, if you’re just beginning to write, a relevant goal would be, “find and follow 3 blogs that regularly post writing tips.”

Time-bound

Never make a goal without setting a deadline! Whenever you set a goal, be sure to make yourself a time limit.